Even as Chennai faces a cyclone threat ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka, doubts have emerged over the venue of the third tie with the hosts, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), informing the Indian board that it was yet to get control over Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.Kanpur is scheduled to stage the third Test from December 18 but the failure of the municipal corporation to hand over the ground to the UPCA has thrown the match into jeopardy. “It is not correct to say we have expressed our inability to host the match. We have informed the Annual General Meeting that we have not been yet allotted the ground,” Jyoti Bajpai, the UPCA secretary, said. Bajpai’s clarification came amid speculation that the match could be shifted out of Kanpur. Asked if the board had told the UPCA about a change in venue of the match, Bajpai replied in the negative.Bajpai said normally the UPCA took charge of Green Park, which it leases from the municipal corporation, 30 days before a match. “On our behalf, we are pursuing the matter. The scoreboards and other facilities that have been in our control are in condition,” he said.In the past too, the UPCA and the local authorities have been at loggerheads with regard to the conduct of matches. The state officials have not hesitated to flex their muscles as was witnessed during the one-day international against Pakistan in April 2005 when the sale of tickets were allegedly taken over by the police.

Scorecard

Victoria were desperately trying to avoid an outright defeat that would dint their chances of hosting the Pura Cup final as they were out-played by Tasmania at the Junction Oval. The Bushrangers currently have a two-point lead at the top of the table, but they have been upset by the competition’s bottom side and require another 267 runs on the final day for an unlikely victory.Cameron White and Nick Jewell both posted half-centuries in an unbroken stand of 84 after combining at the trouble of 4 for 68. Set a target of 419, which would be the fifth-largest winning chase in the competition’s history, the Bushrangers began badly when Dan Marsh, the captain, grabbed two smart slips catches to oust Jon Moss and David Hussey for single figures. However, White (61) and Jewell (52) settled the situation and moved the side to 4 for 152 at stumps.Sean Clingeleffer was most productive Tasmania batsman with 62 and his 103-run partnership with Marsh, who chipped in with 57, moved Tasmania to a position of safety before the bowlers Brendan Drew, Brett Geeves and Ben Hilfenhaus added some valuable runs to extend the lead to 418. Allan Wise, Gerard Denton and Shane Harwood picked up three wickets each while Shane Warne failed to penetrate in his 16 overs.

Lahore Lions made heavy weather of a modest target, beating Hyderabad Hawks by three wicketsin an ABN AMRO Cup league match at Lahore. Chasing 200, Lahore lost three early wickets before half-centuries by Rashid Riaz and Adnan Raza provided stability. Naeem-ur-Rehman, the medium-pacer, then struck back with three wickets, all lbw, to leave Lahore in a spot of bother at 157 for 7 but Raza guided his team to victory with an unbeaten 69. Earlier, Hyderabad failed to capitalise on winning the toss, losing wickets regularly. Shahid Qambrani, continuing his good form after his ton in the previous game, was the only batsman to cross fifty.An unbeaten 112 by Afaq Raheem helped Islamabad Leopards canter to a easy nine-wicket win against Karachi Dolphins in an ABN AMRO Cup league match at Islamabad. Raheem struck 17 boundaries and added 146 with Bazid Khan for the second wicket to see the side through. Sent in to bat, the Karachi batsmen struggled against some quality bowling by the Islamabad bowlers. Rauf Akbar and Zohaib Ahmed, the opening bowlers, shared seven wickets between them to bundle Karachi out for 190. Akbar had the best figures of 4 for 44 and cleaned up the tail.Sialkot Stallions bagged their first win in the tournament beating Rawalpindi Rams by three wickets in an ABN AMRO Cup league match at Karachi. Batting first, Rawalpindi finished on 221 with half-centuries by Mohammad Wasim (74), the former Pakistan batsman, and Yasir Arafat (64*). Tahir Mughal and Mansoor Amjad took three wickets each for Sialkot. Sialkot began their chase losing two quick wickets before Atiq-ur-Rehman (60) steadied the innings. The middle-order batsmen chipped in with useful scores as Sialkot got home with over four overs to spare.A scintillating 118 off only 85 balls by Ali Naqvi helped Abbottabad Rhinos beat Quetta Bears by four wickets in a high-scoring duel at Abbottabad. Set a target of 315, the Rhinos won in the final over, guided by Ahmad Said (50*), the wicketkeeper. Naqvi’s innings included six fours and sixes, taking the attack top the bowlers before being run-out in the final stages of the chase. Earlier, Quetta were propelled by their lower order, with half-centuries by Faisal Irfan (78), the captain and Hameedullah Khan (64). Both scored at over a run-a-ball. Adil Nasar finished the innings in style, scoring 42 off only 23 balls with three sixes.Faisalabad Wolves beat Multan Tigers convincingly by fifty runs in an ABN AMRO Cup league match at Faisalabad Chasing 265, Multan lost wickets at regular intervals and never really looked like winning. Adnan Akmal, brother of national wicketkeeper Kamran, showed some fight late in the innings but was short of assistance at the other end. Earlier, Misbah-ul-Haq, the Faisalabad captain, scored a valuable 65 to take his side to a competitive total before being stumped off Majid Majeed, the offbreak bowler who finished with four wickets.Teams batting second in the second round games in the ABN AMRO Cup have generally emerged triumphant, as Peshawar Panthers prevailed in a high-scoring duel beating Karachi Bears by five wickets thanks to an unbeaten 117 by Mohammad Fayyaz. Fayyaz and Rafatullah Mohmand (51) took the game away from Peshawar, with a 90-run stand for the second wicket. Earlier, Khurram Manzoor (50), Naumanullah (81) and Hasan Raza (70) helped Karachi post a tall score of 284. Fazl-e-Akbar was the best bowler for Peshawar picking up three wickets.

The United Cricket Board of South Africa has named the 18 players who will attend the 2006 National Academy, based at the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria.Dean Elgar, the captain of the South Africa U-19 team at the World Cup in Sri Lanka, is among the names and he is joined by youngsters who have shown promise at various age groups and in first-class cricket.Anton Ferreira, the UCBSA national coaching manager and head of the National Academy, said: “The squad of 18 represents the 11th intake of this UCBSA’s elite player development programme and will be the third at the high performance centre at Tuks.”These players all have first-class experience at either amateur provincial or franchise professional levels and the majority have already started making their mark in a big way in various senior competitions.”The four-month academy will provide an intensive and extensive approach to their development both in cricket and life skills. We want to build their all-round capacities in order to enable them to meet the challenges of the next level of cricket.”Squad Keegan Africa, Craig Alexander, Farhaan Behardien, Werner Coetsee, Dillon du Preez, Dean Elgar, Robert Frylinck, Heino Kuhn, Corne Linde, Sadi Mhlongo, Hillroy Paulse, Abdul Hack Razzak, Pepler Sandri, Blake Snijman, Abongile Sodumo, Dominic Telo, Craig Thyssen

Division 1

Durham needed a mere six overs and four balls to wrap up their first Championship victory of the season – a steamrollering of Kent at Canterbury. Min Patel delayed the inevitable with a bolshy 61, at nearly a run-a-ball, but he was cleverly deceived by Ottis Gibson’s slower ball to hand Durham only their second win against Kent. Gibson, 37, finished with the impressive figures of 3 for 58 as Durham won by the convincing margin of an innings and 56 runs.Warwickshire toiled hard without any success on the final day of their match against Sussex at Hove, and were scuppered by two brilliant hundreds from Murray Goodwin (214*) and Michael Yardy (159*). The pair broke the county’s record for the third wicket with an undefeated stand of 385, which had previously been held by Ranjitsinhji and Ernest Killick against Lancashire at Hove in 1901. There was still a danger of the hosts capitulating on the final morning – they trailed by 41 at the start of play – but Yardy and Goodwin defied the bowlers manfully. Yardy hit 17 fours in his 274-ball marathon, while Goodwin was a touch more aggressive in his strokeplay, lofting two big sixes and 23 fours as the game petered out into a draw.Chris Read continued his excellent early-season form with an unbeaten, and sprightly, hundred for Nottinghamshire against Yorkshire in what became a meaningless encounter at Nottingham. Rain ruined the first and third day’s play, leaving the fourth day a leather-chasing affair. Darren Bicknell struck a patient 95 and Russell Warren made 93 before Read took the attack to Yorkshire. After a relatively sedate 85-ball fifty, he opened his shoulders – taking four fours off one John Blain over – moving to his hundred in style with a lofted six. The run-spree gave Nottinghamshire – last year’s champions and considered by many to be favourites this year – maximum bonus points, and Read his second hundred in as many games.

Division 2

A brutal 157 from David Sales set Essex an unlikely 381 to win against Northamptonshire. After losing three wickets with 96 on the board, Alastair Cook – who made 88 in the first innings – caressed an excellent unbeaten 103 to steady the ship, and enhance his claims for an England place against Sri Lanka in May. After Cook blunted the game, the two captains agreed to the draw and took seven points each.Rikki Clarke’s brilliant 130 helped save Surrey’s blushes on the final day against Derbyshire at the Oval, avoiding Surrey’s first opening-round defeat since 1990. At one point, it seemed Derbyshire – who suffered a dreadful season last year – might record their first victory at the Oval in 40 years when Surrey slipped to 246 for 5, holding a lead of just 62. Clarke, though, combined well with Azhar Mahmood (46), with whom he put on 125 in 31 overs. His eighth first-class hundred came from 152 balls, and shortly before half-past-five the players shook hands leaving Surrey on 476 for 8.

The Welsh women’s team received television coverage last night when their first tour abroad to Barbados was featured in a documentary.The documentary – in the Wynebau Newydd (New Faces) series – followed two players: Rachel Nicholas and Rhian Davies, both aged 24 and both bowlers for the team.”We’ve taken enough stick from boys over the years that women can’t play cricket,” Nicholas said, “but now they’ve seen that we’re good enough to take them on.”Davies added that Wales are planning a tour to South Africa in the autumn. “Things are looking up for the team now, but it’s been a long journey. After the tour, we got a new coach, Keith Newell, but we also became more close-knit as a squad,” she said. “We have learnt to talk to each other and to play for each other and not as individuals. It was character-building for us and the tour was a turning point.”

At just before five o’clock, with the shadows lengthening and everyone anticipating an Indian declaration, confusion reigned. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in the midst of a savage attack, hoicked Dave Mohammed to the midwicket region, and Daren Ganga backpedaled to take the skier. Ganga completed the catch, took a couple of steps back, moved a couple of steps sideways and ran towards his team-mates in jubilation. Dhoni turned back to walk towards the pavilion, Rahul Dravid stood up in the dressing-room, appearing to want to signal a declaration, but Asad Rauf, the umpire at the bowler’s end, had his doubts.Rauf first checked with Simon Taufel, the square leg umpire, and then took out his walkie-talkie to consult Billy Doctrove, the third official. The whole issue revolved around whether Ganga had stepped on the boundary rope (with a sponsor banner wrapped around) while taking the catch, and the two television replays were inconclusive. For the next 15 minutes, nobody knew what was happening. Ganga spoke to Lara, Ganga spoke to the batsmen, Lara spoke to the umpires, Lara spoke to the batsmen, replays continued to be inconclusive, Dravid waited, the crowd waited, the music played, but hardly anyone danced.As time wore on, Lara appeared to grow more and more agitated and was seen wagging his finger towards Rauf and, a few minutes later, after a conversation with Rauf, he snatched the ball away from him. Further discussions followed before, after what seemed an age, Dhoni finally began walking towards the dressing-room.At the end of the day, Dhoni clarified what had gone on: “Brian came up to me and said, ‘I’m taking the charge of my players’, as in taking the responsibility of his players, and ‘I think you should walk off. What they [my players] say is going to be the truth’. Then we decided that I should walk off. He came late to me. Daren came first and it was tough for him because it [the boundary rope] was on his back side. And it’s hard to feel a piece of paper when it’s behind you. So he was not entirely sure about it, he said, ‘I’m not really sure if I stepped on it’.”He added that he didn’t want to dwell too much on the topic saying, “I think I accepted the fielder’s words and came back. It was between them [the umpires and fielders] and I think it’s a topic that can be left alone.”Bennett King, the West Indies, coach who also came for the press conference didn’t want to comment on the matter; Imran Khan, the West Indies media manager, said that the two captains, match referee and two umpires had spoken about it and were happy.Why Doctrove didn’t pass a verdict remains baffling. There was clearly some doubt and, under normal circumstances, the benefit should have gone to the batsman. Neither team had, officially at least, agreed on accepting the fielders’ word and it would have surely been tough for Ganga to judge if he touched the paper banner or not.Lara too was treading on shaky ground but his moot point might have been that Dravid had already signalled the declaration – something which appeared a possibility. Maybe he was arguing about Dravid calling the players back after the catch was taken, in which case Dhoni, whether he was out or not, could not be allowed to bat again. It’s a tough one to interpret, yet not that grave as to warrant such angry gestures.The official word was that “normal play” would resume tomorrow. If at all those six runs would make a difference in the eventual outcome, everything may not necessarily be normal.

Bruce Reid, the former bowling consultant for the Indian team, feels that a reason for India’s poor bowling performance in West Indies is the inability of the bowlers to put enough pressure while bowling in the fourth innings.”The wickets in West Indies can be really dead,” Reid told . “You need bowlers who can bowl something at 90 mph or probably some luck. There is a lot of difference in bowling in the first innings and bowling in the last innings.”On Anil Kumble, who has taken 13 wickets in the two Tests, at an average of 26.76, Reid said, “It is logical to believe that the conditions weren’t close to what Kumble would like to have. The reason why he has succeeded so much on the sub-continent wickets is precisely because the he’s got the much needed help from tracks that are sharp and turn viciously.”Reid, who is now the bowling coach for Hampshire, added that Irfan Pathan has progressed with every series and has developed into a very smart bowler. “But the rest of the attack is very young, very clueless about what is expected of them. You need to give them time, mate.”The third Test between India and West Indies begins on June 22 at St Kitts. It will be the first Test that the island has ever hosted.

The reactions to Dean Jones’s ‘terrorist’ remark towards Hashim Amla have come thick and fast not only from South African fans, but from the commentators’ box as well. Various experts and media personalities – including former cricketers – agreed that commentators must always be accountable for their comments.Harsha Bhogle, a prominent broadcaster with ESPN Star Sports, pointed out that commentators have to always be on their guard. “We work in a news room or commentary box, so we have to be careful of what we say,” he told . “You have to assume that the microphone is always on. There will be some network somewhere who will be on live even when there is a break. We have directorial microphones too, so we have to be very careful. Sometimes producers do tell us that it is leaking, be careful. I have made up my mind not to swear even when not on air.”Syed Saba Karim, the former Indian wicketkeeper-turned-commentator, did not condone Jones but believed it could have been an honest mistake. “We do chat off camera and off air but I have never experienced anything like this. Nowadays with the ICC being strict with what comes on air, strong action has already taken place,” he said. “Dean Jones is popular with so many cricketers, maybe it came out inadvertently. He must be given a chance to explain his stand.”Madan Lal, the former Indian allrounder, termed it a mistake that could have been avoided. “You have to take precautions while you are on air,” he stated. “You should make no personal comments, especially against religion. Producers anyway warn us from making comments against individuals. I haven’t made or heard such remarks from my co-commentators. However, mistakes do happen and some pay a big price for it, like Jones.”Similiarly, Arun Lal, the former Indian batsman and prominent commentator, maintained that it was a bad mistake. “It’s a very unfortunate incident. Just one of those things, when he has probably tried to sound witty. Knowing the gentleman I am sure he did not mean it. It was just a mistake, nothing else. An apology would have been fine, because as a sportsman you never in indulge in racism. I am sure Deano himself would have been embarrassed with what has happened.”There were others who saw the incident as more than a goof-up. Kirti Azad, the former Indian offspinner, called it “derogatory” and far from a joke. “Jones has been tarnished forever, now no channel would want his services,” he said. Vijay Amritraj, the former Indian tennis player who has been a commentator for various channels, said it was up to the individual to be careful. “Such kind of comments and remarks cannot be allowed for commentators and there is no way what Jones said can be condoned,” he said. “But every individual has a standard of ethics and it is up to every channel to decide one for itself. I do not think that there is any need for a code of conduct in this regard.”

Pakistan announced a 14-man squad for next month’s Champions Trophy in India, retaining Inzamam-ul Haq as captain. Inzamam is set to face an International Cricket Council (ICC) code of conduct hearing at the end of this month and faces a possible suspension.”We have proceeded as if Inzamam is available for selection,” Abbas Zaidi, director operations,PCB, told AFP.Inzamam faces two charges after Pakistan forfeited the fourth Test against England at The Oval last month – for ball tampering and also for bringing the game into disrepute after refusing to take the field once umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove changed the ball on suspicions of ball tampering and awarded five penalty runs to England.”There are no reservations over Inzamam’s captaincy and the PCB chairman has assured he would continue and if any other situation arises we will cross the bridge when it comes,’ added Zaidi.If found guilty of ball tampering then Inzamam faces a fine of between 50 and 100 percent of his match fee and a one Test or two one-day international (ODI) ban. If found guilty on the second count he faces a ban of between two and four Test matches or four to eight ODI matches.Pakistan’s squad for the Champions Trophy contains few surprises and only two changes from the team currently playing the ODI series in England. Shahid Yousuf and Danish Kaneria have been dropped.Rao Iftikhar Anjum has been included in Pakistan’s final squad of 14 for the upcoming Champions Trophy. Anjum, the 25-year-old fast bowler, was in the original squad to tourEngland but left in the latter half of July owing to his father’s death.Pakistan take on a qualifier at Jaipur on October 17 and meet New Zealand and South Africa in later matches. The final will be held on Nov. 5.Pakistan squad1 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt) 2 Younis Khan, 3 Mohammad Yousuf, 4 Abdul Razzaq, 5 Shoaib Akhtar, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Shoaib Malik, 8 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 9 Kamran Akmal, 10 Imran Farhat, 11 Mohammad Asif, 12 Umar Gul, 13 Mohammad Hafeez, 14 Rao Iftikhar Anjum